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GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 26, 2007 - 11:19am PT
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Have you ever had a belayer fail to catch you? Gear was good, fall should have been arrested, but wasn't. Could be lead second, or TR, but the results were you hitting a ledge, the ground, or falling a long way.
I'm curious, because folks here have been climbing a long time, long enough that there were plenty of chances. But... well I don't want to prejudice the answers with my hypothesis.
If you have been dropped, what happened? Was it recent? Do you still let that belayer belay you? Do you consider it a "shit happens" moment, or did it change your whole outlook?
Thanks,
GO
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Dropline
Mountain climber
North Conway, NH
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Feb 26, 2007 - 11:45am PT
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Dropped once while ice climbing many years ago. Cratered onto a ledge 50' down as my belayer finally got a grip on the rope. Rope burned through belayers gloves and into fingers. I'm lucky to be alive. Consider it a "shit happens" moment although I am more militant now about attentiveness on the part of my belayer. There are people I avoid making climbing plans with because they don't take the belay seriously enough.
Edited to add: The best belayers are people who have been dropped. :)
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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Feb 26, 2007 - 12:00pm PT
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edit : Almost - on a grigri and bouncing down a slab...finally jumped into the air just as my partner tightened the brake strand, stopped 2 feet from the ground...still not sure if it was him or me that actually locked the grigri
double edit - i did deck once - was a pendulum and then plummet while trying to set up a self rescue prusik system on a TR...foolishly put the prusiks around different instead of both strands of the rope, pulled my feet over my head and then fell 15 feet sideways...took a year for the foot to finally heal...pretty stupid thing to do, in retrospect, but i'm a lot more anal about safety now so i guess it was an easier lesson than it could have been...
my roommate got dropped 30 feet flat on his back once - got up and walked away fine...got even with the dude that dropped him by stealing his GF and marrying her ;-)
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GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 26, 2007 - 12:13pm PT
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To add to the poll myself: Been climbing nine years (mostly just a weekend warrior, though) and never been dropped. Never dropped anyone else either, though I did once get pulled off my ledge and dragged 10 feet upside down down a slab after a directional popped. My second fell close to 10 feet, But I never let any rope slide throught the device.
GO
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Feb 26, 2007 - 12:27pm PT
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Almost. Early in the sport-climbing boom, I made the classic fool's move of lowering off from high anchors. My belayer caught the tail of the rope with one hand after it had whipped through the ATC, screamed at me to get my weight off the rope, and fortunately there were some holds within reach. So I'd come within two inches of dead but ended up unscratched. If I were to posthumously write up the accident for AMAP, I woulda said it's my own damn fault.
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Owlman
Big Wall climber
Torrey, Utah
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Feb 26, 2007 - 12:31pm PT
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Yep. Dropped a year ago at Revenue Flats outside of Bozeman.
I led up, clipped the top ankors, then asked for a lower. I just started lowering faster and faster and just about hit terminal velocity when I pancaked on the grass 40 feet later. Lucky bounce and few sprains but I was OK. Belayer just could not seem to remember which was the brake hand using a tuber belay device. Wierd. Lucky.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Feb 26, 2007 - 12:52pm PT
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My belayer was spacing out and let me come within 12" of getting killed. I stopped upside down above that nice flat granite mellon splitter on Right Ski Track.
JDF
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Gunkie
climber
East Coast US
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Feb 26, 2007 - 12:54pm PT
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Flat onto my back on a toprope at Livzey Rock in Philadelphia, circa 1982. I thought I broke a rib or two and had problems breathing for a few days because of the pain.
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L
climber
The City of Lost Angels
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Feb 26, 2007 - 01:00pm PT
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Only in the gym. I popped off an awkward gnarly lead route when a hold spun, and hit an angled wall at warp 5. Messed my foot up for about a year, but I'm almost back to normal now. My belayer wasn't paying attention (as usual) and instead of a 7 foot fall, I dropped almost 20 feet...which whipped me under this roof and almost broke my foot.
I decided climbing with him wasn't good for my health.
Belaying is taking someone's life in your hands--I never take my eyes off the climber I'm belaying, unless they climb out of site, and then I listen and watch rope movement very carefully.
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oblio
Trad climber
San Diego
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Feb 26, 2007 - 01:02pm PT
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Twas on the last pitch of the nutcracker. I had put in a piece and was about to do the mantel move (piece probably at almost my feet and I'm 5' tall.). Slipped,(my fault, of course) and took ~ a 30' whipper (piece held, fortunately), ended up below the belay....Broke both legs.
Though I was on lead and I slipped, I'd NEVER climb with that person again (which I knew by the 2nd pitch).
Still not sure if he had extra slack out or just didn't grab the rope when I started to go.
Lessons learned.
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Moof
Trad climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Feb 26, 2007 - 01:13pm PT
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I've had the opposite happen. Should have cratered, but a kick ass belay saved me. On one of my very rare sport outings I ran into trouble clipping the second bolt on a POS 5.8. Awkward stance, clipped bolt, mouth full of slack, hand just popped while yarding up the next handful. Should have decked with at least 3-4 feet of excess slack. Random campground scrounged partner yarded in and sat down in one motion. I ended up with less than 12" of air under my butt. I was able to stand up with no extra slack being given and shake his hand. End of my sport climbing for a while.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Feb 26, 2007 - 02:07pm PT
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Not outdoors, but a buddy unfamiliar with a GriGri almost let me hit the padded floor indoors before. I had to explain that pulling on the lever sped up my descent instead of slowing it down, as with other belay devices.
Kinda scary but nobody got hurt. I haven't climbed that much outdoors with folks that I don't know, so I haven't had the "opportunity" to be dropped as much as some of y'all. . .
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 26, 2007 - 02:10pm PT
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Never
And it's an unwritten rule.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Feb 26, 2007 - 02:22pm PT
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Werner, I have never seen you fall. Pretty much reduces the chances of being dropped.
Ken
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Alan Doak
climber
boulder, co
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Feb 26, 2007 - 04:51pm PT
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I'll fess up, I dropped a guy at the gym.
I was lowering him, and not paying complete attention. I saw him touch the ground and let out a whole bunch of slack so he could untie. Whoops! It wasn't my partner that I saw touch down, he was still 6 feet off the ground. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Luckily he didn't tweak an ankle or his back.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 26, 2007 - 05:01pm PT
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This I assume, is a overflow thread from the RC thread of the same name? If Werner were to drop me or someone else there would no doubt be a familiar bear to blame...
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turd
climber
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Feb 26, 2007 - 05:11pm PT
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Took a 40 footer that should have been a 20 footer while the belayer was digging in his pack for a snack. A kink in the rope somehow caught on a piece of his gear and dragged it into the belay device. I stopped about 5 feet off the deck. Didn't really climb with him much after that.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Feb 26, 2007 - 05:17pm PT
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While throwing for the jam on Bearded Cabbage (JT), my partner was in conversation with someone else. I didn't stick the jam, and began descending full speed ahead to the rocks below. Just at the last possible second, he grabbed the rope and kept me from decking. That would'a hurt a bit.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 26, 2007 - 05:19pm PT
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More than once.
Most memorable:
Mr. X goes up the back to the top of a potential toprope line. Throws down rope. I tie in. He says on belay.
Twenty-five feet up it gets sketchy. I warn him. Try. Come off.
He stops me but then says he CAN'T HOLD ME!
Then he drops me.
I hit hard.
I look up.
A forty pound rock comes down and I jump out of the way just in time.
Shortly Mr. X explains that he only girth hitched to a small tree because, "I didn't think YOU would fall." and when it slipped and he started to get pulled over the edge he just let go...
So why don't I reveal this guy's name?
Well, then the monthly checks would stop coming in...
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Apocalypsenow
Trad climber
Cali
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Feb 26, 2007 - 05:20pm PT
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Seen people dropped. Always at sport climbing areas.
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